Gate or door opening appliance



Apxil 8, 1930. w. .1. HAMMOND GATE OR DOOR OPENING APPLIANCE Filed May 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet W. J. HAMMOND GATE OR DOOR OPENING APPLIANCE Filed May 26 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT: orrlca I WILLIAM J". HAMMOND, 0F PLUMAS, MANITOBA, CANADA GATE on noon OPENING arrtmnon Applicationfiled May 26, 1928, Serial No. 280,827, and in Qanada May 5, 1928.

The invention relates to improvements in gate or door openmg appliances and an obect of the invention is to provide a device which will permit of the ready and easy 5 opening of a door or gate by anapproaching vehicle, the vehicle engaging with an oper ating member which actuates associated parts and opens the door or gate prior to the vehicle reaching the same.

With the above more important objects in view, the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly"described, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings; in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the inventio as it appears associated with a garage door.

Fig. 2 is anenlarged detailed perspective view of one end of the track and showing part of the operating member carried thereby.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the track and adjoining post and showing other associated parts in side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through'one end of the track.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the carriage. 1

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the invention as it appears when associated with a gate.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view in the plane denoted by the line 7 -7 Figure 6.

Fig. 8 is a view showing diagrammatically the arrangement of the pulling lines for the gate.

In the drawings like characters of refer- A further object of the invention is topr ovide a construction which when used with a' ence indicate corresponding parts in the sevhicle to enter the garage. Subsequently the driver will close the door by hand and'at a later period'when he desires to take the vehicle out, he will open the door by hand and as the vehicle backs away from the garage, it will operate the appliance to close the door and having closed it, will leave the appliance set so that subsequently the door can be opened bythe approaching vehicle.

Where the device is used for gate opening purposes, such as farm gates and so forth, it will be arranged so that when the vehicle" is approaching the gate, the gate willbe opened by contact of the vehicle with an operating member and such that after the vehicle has passed the gate, the gate will be closed by the vehicle engaging a further operatingmember and here it will be understoodthat the operating members will always be set for opening purposes regardless of the direction of travel of the vehicle;

I will first describe theinvention as applied to opening a door such as a garage door. The door 1 closing the entrance opening to the garage or other building 2 is-mounted to 7 building, I locate a set of aligned posts 5 at some distance from the building and a single post 6 close to the lower rear corner of the door. Theposts 5 carry a horizontally disposed track 7 in the form of a fiat bar of predetermined length. The bar is fastened to the upper ends of the posts by bolts 8 and is spaced from the posts by spacing sleeves 9 mounted on the bolts between the posts and the bar.

The ends of the bar carry similar hinged extensions 10 and 11 and the hinged exten' sions are provided at their free ends with similar flanged pulleys or rollers 12 and 13 and transversely extending stop blocks 1 and 15 adjoining the pulleys. The hinge 16 connecting each extension to the track is arranged so that the extension can swing freely in a direction away from the roadway but cannot swing towards the roadway further thanthe position shown best in Figures 2 and 4. A spring 17 is fastened to each end of the track and bears against the extension and normally holds it in the position shown in said latter figures. The length of the bar or track 7 is slightly less than the distance which the door has to travel to open or to close as the case may be.

On the track, I mount a horizontally disposed carriage 18' which is herein shown as formed from a U-shaped bar 19 bent to straddle the track and an inner set of rollers 20 and outer sets of rollers 21 and 22, the rollers 20 operating on the face of the track next the roadway and those 21 and 22 on the face of the track remote from the roadway.

The carriage supports an operating member indicated generally by the reference nu-' meral23 which is adapted to be struck by the passing vehicle. The operating member presents a substantially rectangular vertically disposed frame 24 provided with a series of horizontally disposed rollers 25 and a single vertically disposed'j roller 26 at the, side remote from the track. The frame 24- is fastened to the carriage by a supporting bracket 27 bolted to such parts. The rollers 25 and 26 will be preferably madev from inner spindles covered on the outside with a resilient material such as rubber.

On the upper end of the post 6, I mount rotatably two horizontally disposed flanged pulleys 28 and 29. To the lower corners of the door, I connect in any suitable manner, pulling lines 30 and 31.

The pulling line 31 passes forwardly around the pulley 29, over the pulley 13 and is fastened to the side of the carriage'towards the door. The pulling line 30 passesrearwardly around the pulley 28, then forwardly between the posts and the track, then around the pulley 12 and is fastened to the carriage at the side remote from the door.

Assuming the vehicle is approaching the garage and the parts are set as shown in Figure 1, the driver will direct the vehicle so that the front wheel or other part thereof will strike the member 23 which at such time is on the extension 10 of the track. The passing vehicle will carry the operating member 23 with it, the carriage travelling along the track during such time and the travel of the member on thetrack will be such that when the member reaches the end of the track towards the door, the door will be practically open through the pulling effect of v the line 30. When the carriage reaches the words, the extension 11 permits the operating member to move out and the vehicle to go by, the door being at such time in its open position- .I-Iaving placed the vehicle in the building,

the operator closes the door by hand at which time, the operating member returns to the position shown in Figure 1. Subsequently when the door is opened by handto permit of the backing of the vehicle out of the building, the member 23 moves in to the inner end of the track. Accordingly when the driver backs the vehicle out of the building, one of the rear wheelsthereof will strike the member 23 and will move it out to the end of the track remote from the building which movement will close the door.

Having reached the end of the track, the member 23 will swing away from the vehicle to allow it to pass being carried at such time by the end extension 10. After the vehicle has passed, the spring 17 swings the extension 10 into its original position and the member23 is positioned for door opening purposes when the vehicle returns. i In utilizing the invention for gate open .ing and closing purposes, the structure is virtually the same as above described with the exception that it is duplicated at both sides of the gate. Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, it will be observed that the gate F is mounted for endwise movement trans versely; of the roadway and is herein shown as closed and having one end located between a pair of spaced posts 32 and'33, the posts being provided with upper and lower sets of rollers 34, 35, 36 and 37 which support the; gate. The gate closes towards a single post 38 which is provided with receiving rollers 39' and 40 and with a catch 41. If'desired also, guiding rollers 42 can'be located on the ground for guiding the gate between the osts. Y

lVhilst I have given a detailed description of the manner in which the gate is'supported, it will be readily understood that I do not wish to be limited to the structure shown as the gate could be supported in various ways provided it is permitted. an endwise movement transversely of the roadway when opening and closing.

'At the side of the roadway approaching the gate, I locate a track and parts associated therewith designed and constructed in the same manner as hereinbefore described and the operating member corresponding to 23 is herein indicated by the letter A.

At the opposite side of the gate, I locate another track of the same construction and having similar parts associated therewith and the operating member corresponding to 23 previously described is indicated by the letter B; A pulling line 43 is connected at 44 to one of the lower corners of the gate and passes around the pulley45'carried by the post 33 and then extends in advance of the track and is fastened to the carriage supporting the member A. A second pulling line 46 is fastened to the other lower corner of the gate at 47 and passes around the pulley 48 then rearwardly of the track and is connected to the carriage supporting the member A after having been passed around the pulley 12 at the end of the track remote from the gate. Similarly pulling lines-i9 and 50 are connected to the lower corners of the gate and to the carriage supportingthe member B and it will be observed .that'when the gate is closed, the members A and B are at the ends of the tracks remote from the gate.

YVith such an arrangement and the parts as shown in Figure 6 and assuming a vehicle is approaching the gate from theright Figure 6, the vehicle would be operated so that the front wheel or other front part thereof strikes the member A. The member A will move on the track with the vehicle and. the gate will be opened and at such time, the member B moves towards the inner end of the track carrying it. After the vehicle has passed the open gate, the front wheel or other part thereof is brought into engagement with the member B and the member B moves outwardly on the track with the vehicle and effects the closing of the gate. The members A and B both operate 011 the extensions 10 and 11 of the track in the same manner as described in connection with the door.

That is to say, the extensions 10 and 11 swing back to let the members A or B move out and the vehicle go by. It will be observed that after the vehicle has gone past, the members A and B are set in the position shown in Figure 6 so thatthe gate can be subsequently opened by a vehicle approaching from either direction.

WVhilst I have described the invention as utilized for opening a door and a gate, such is simply a closure member for a passage through which the vehicle passes and in the accompanying claims the term closure memher is to be considered as meaning a gate, door or such like which it is desired to open or to open and close by utilizing a moving vehicle.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A vehicle actuated device for operating an endwise, shiftable closure member com prising a track located at some distance from the closure member and provided with hinged end extensions, a carriage mounted for endwise movement on the track, an operating member carried by the carriage and adapted to be engaged and shifted towards the closure member by a vehicle approaching the same, a suitably guided pulling line con necting the carriage to the closure member and adapted in the movement of the carriage towards the closure member to open said closure member and a suitably guided pulling line connecting the carriage with the closure member and adapted to reset the carriage in the subsequent closing of the closure member.

2. In a vehicle actuated device for operating a closure member, a track located at some distance from and extending towards the closure member, said track being provided with hinged spring pressed end extensions normally contained in the plane of the track, a carriage mounted for endwlse movement onv the track an operating member secured to the carriage and extending normally in the path of travel of a passing vehicle, said operating member being adapted by contact with the vehicle to eifect the end shifting of the carriage on the track and said end extensions permitting the operating member to swing away from the vehicle to' escape the same and a connection betweenthe carriage and the closure member adapted to open the closure member upon the carriage moving towards the same and to reset the carriage in lhe subsequent closing of the closure mem- 3. In a vehicle actuated device-for operating a closure member, a track having hinged spring pressed end extensions normally contained in the plane of the track, a member endwise shiftable on the track and adapted to be struck by the passing vehicle and moved along the track, said end extensions permitting of the movement of the member in a direct-ion away from the vehicle to escape the same and a connection between the shiftable member and the closure member adapted to open the closure member upon the shiftable member moving towards the closure member and to reset the shiftable member in the subsequent closing of the closure member. I

4. A vehicle actuated gate opening and closing device, said gate being mounted for endwise shifting movement and being normally closed comprising similar tracks located at opposite sides of the gate and at some distance therefrom, said tracks being. provided with spring pressed end extensions normally contained in the plane of the tracks, similar carriages mounted on the tracks for endwise movement thereon and located in the closed position of the gate at the ends of the tracks remote from the gate, operating members carried by the carriages and normally extending into the path of travel of the passing vehicle, suitably guided pulling connections between the carriages and one of the lower corners of the gate and suitably guided pulling connections between the carriages and the other of the lower corners of the gate.

Signed at Pluma-s, this 23rd day of March,

WILLIAM J. HAMMOND. 

